GLENVILLE &045; With only three returning starters from last year’s team, Glenville-Emmons first-year softball coach Lisa Ziebell will be looking to fill several positions.

Ziebell was the B-squad coach last year and this year has taken over the head coaching position. She replaces longtime coach Bob Staska, who took a teaching and coaching job in northern Minnesota.

Competing in the Southeast Conference, last year’s Wolverines had an overall record of 12-9 and a conference record of 9-5.

Ziebell looks for the conference to be very competitive and the section to be very tough again this year. She said that last year there were about four teams with almost the same record that finished near the top of the conference.

Of the Wolverines’ six returning letterwinners, three were starters. The starters were senior Kelly Yost and juniors Katie Brackey and Jenna Brackey. The other returning letterwinners are junior Becky Erickson, sophomore Samantha Stadheim and senior Becky Anderson.

Other key players are senior Alisa Rayman, who didn’t play her junior year, junior Megan Bjorklund,and sophomores Rhonda Watson, Mallory Paulson and Amanda Weiss.

Jenna Brackey has some varsity pitching experience, but the Wolverines will have to look to sophomore Weiss and two freshmen, Jorden Claus-sen and Kristen Leon-hardi, for backup. Rayman has also done some pitching.

Coach Ziebell says, &uot;They key to the team’s success this season will be putting the right players in the right position and getting the players to work and come together as a team.&uot;

Ziebell also said that in most smaller schools the players come up through the years together so they get to know each other, but the last couple of years this really hasn’t been happening, so the players need time to adjust to each other.

Ziebell also says that keeping smiles on the players’ faces and having fun playing the game can make the season a success.